Candle lock (Burn)
by MissJuliaBelle
Summary: Sherwick was a tall, elegant candle. Waxon was your average everyday jar candle. When the two finally meet, they became inseparable. What happens when the two are faced with Sherwick's biggest challenge yet? Will they overcome their greatest obstacle, or will they burn in defeat? This is my first fanfiction to kind of get on my feet. Rated M for later chapters just in case.


Sherwick was a beautiful tall navy candle, only of the highest Holmes Candles Inc. standards. Once, he had smelled like clean laundry, but over time the scent had faded. When actually taken out, it was usually alongside his red brother, Lightcroft, who had come with Sherwick's set. They had been given to Mrs. Hudson as a gift for her 50th birthday, and she still had them; she never lit Sherwick or his brother since they were such expensive candles, and only took them out for special occasions. The third Holmes candle had fallen once and broken. Mrs. Hudson had repaired him, but the crack was still visible, so she ended up burning him out. The two rarely spoke of him anymore.

Sherwick and his brother were more than just expensive though; they were both highly intelligent. They would often have deduction games with each other just to try to pass time. They would watch people through the glass door of the China cabinet they were stored on, and would observe minute details and come to conclusions about the subject.

Eventually, Mrs. Hudson was gifted with some high-end red candles one Christmas, and so put them in the China cabinet with the Holmes candles. Realizing Sherwick was the only blue candle and contrasted starkly against all the red, she opted to place him on top of the fridge among some other odd candles instead. He sat there for months, bored and lonely (although he would never admit the latter to anyone). It wasn't as if he was alone, but the small matching candles, Andersmoke and Carbonvan, were very obtuse in the metaphorical eyes of Sherwick. They were like most candles, very quiet and didn't take to thinking much. This wasn't necessarily their fault, for you see, candles are usually burned within a year or two if they are lucky. Therefore, normal candles only want simple lives, loving, pairing off, /feeling/, before they are inevitably burned to nothing. Or worse, burned incorrectly or doused in water, or ruined by children so they cannot be lit again. Sherwick and his brother had been around so long, and seen so many candles come and go, they had a very different outlook on life. Many fancy or expensive candles were similar, but very few could even hold a candle to the Holmes brothers, if you'll pardon the expression.

A few months later a man named Mike Stamford came for a visit and brought a friend, Molly Hooper with him. Sherwick made some quick deductions as Molly admired him and Stamford made quick small talk. The man had a small, square, cardboard box in his hand. What on earth could that be? Eventually the conversation moved to the sitting room so Sherwick didn't figure out what the parcel contained until the pair made to leave, when Stamford seemed to remember his box. He handed it to Mrs Hudson, and Molly admired Sherwick once more before they left. Inside was an unused jar candle, and Mrs Hudson was always glad for new candles.

She uncapped the tan candle, whose label read 'cinnamon sands' and soon the entire kitchen was filled with a warm scent, reminiscent of sandalwood. Sherwick took in the scent and was very surprised to find just how interested in the new addition to Mrs. Hudson's collection he was. Perhaps he had been stuck up on the fridge with the two knuckleheads too long. She placed the new candle in the middle of the table, replacing the lid and looking at it critically. She then turned and grabbed a doily and placed it underneath. Still dissatisfied, she mumbled something about the candle looking too lonely, and her eye fell on Sherwick. She smiled and placed him in a gold candle-holder, placing him next to the new candle. Perfect.

Finally sated, Mrs. Hudson went about the kitchen, cleaning up the snacks she had set out for her guests. Sherwick gave the new candle some time to take in his new surroundings, as Sherwick took in this new candle. _Obviously from the hospital as Miss Hooper and Mr. Stamford had been the ones to bring him. The crack said he was aged a bit, yet he wasn't lit yet. Why bring him here?_ Eventually the new candle seemed satisfied, and he turned to Sherwick in spirit.

_"Hello, I'm Waxon from the John Doe company. I've only just arrived. Didn't catch your name."_

Sherwick didn't reply immediately, and Waxon felt his eyes calculating him. At last he responded; _"Sherwick, from Holmes Candles, specialty line. From a cubicle, or the break room?"_

Waxon paused a moment, _"Excuse me?"_

Sherwick seemed unfazed. _"You aren't part of a set, otherwise you wouldn't be given to Mrs. Hudson separately from your fellow candles. You've definitely been outside the box, judging from the layer of dust on your lid. However, you haven't been lit and your wax has a very fine layer of dust and your scent is still fairly potent. If you had come from a person's house you probably would've been lit by now, as you weren't part of a set. You were kept somewhere that you couldn't be lit, but someone still wanted to scent the nearby area. Both Miss Hooper and Mike Stamford were from Saint Bart's where lighting a candle would most definitely be considered a fire hazard outside of the lab. On to the crack, yes that crack of yours; you weren't cracked in the box, as there would have been stuffing inside to keep your glass from being damaged. This furthers my theory that you're not from a home, as a person would have just kept a cracked candle and burned it. However, the fact is that you were still given away. So, not a personal item. Perhaps something just sitting around, for sentimental reasons maybe. You were still cracked though, meaning if there is sentiment it's no longer relevant, thus you being gifted. People wouldn't be allowed to give you to a patient, and you wouldn't be left within reach of children, crossing off the reception area entirely, which brings me to my previous question: office cubicle, or break room?"_

Waxon stuttered in awe for a moment _"Well- I... I'm from the break room. How- that was incredible! You could tell all that just from a crack, and some dust?"_

_"Of course not, you're forgetting the circumstances and previous knowledge of the hospital."_ Sherwick preened a bit at the praise, but tried to hide it with another question. _"I didn't miss anything? Usually there's something."_

_"I am part of a set. My sister was kept by the little old nurse and I was brought to an office Yankee swap. The person I was given to had no need for candles apparently, so I was kept in the break room and sometimes people would take my lid off to smell. She left her job and didn't take me with her, so Stamford thought he may as well being me here since the lady seems to have a thing for candles. They said someone may as well burn me."_ He got a bit nervous as he remembered why he was here in the first place.

Sherwick quickly put his fears to rest, _"No need to fret. Mrs. Hudson collects candles, it would be pointless for her to burn any of the gifted or slightly more expensive ones, of which you are both. She has plenty of cheap ones laying around that she can light if she feels the need."_

Waxon was still a little nervous but tried to put it aside. _"Well then, how long have you been around? Quite a while from the way you talk."_

_"Yes, I've been here a while. Since I cannot foresee either of us being moved for quite some time I should warn you sometimes I don't talk aloud for days on end. Mrs. Hudson often plays classical music while she's cleans. Would that bother you? Potential tabletop decoration mates should know the worst about each other."_

Waxon chuckled brightly at this newly found friend he had somehow managed to acquire with almost no effort whatsoever.


End file.
